TY - JOUR
T1 - Are You What Your Avatar Eats? Health-Behavior Effects of Avatar-Manifested Self-Concept
AU - Sah, Young June
AU - Ratan, Rabindra
AU - Tsai, Hsin-Yi
AU - Peng, Wei
AU - Sarinopoulos, Issidoros
PY - 2017/10/2
Y1 - 2017/10/2
N2 - Drawing on the self-concept activation and goal-priming account of the priming effect, this study examined how self-concept—i.e., ideal self, ought self, and actual self—can be harnessed as a model for avatar customization in digital games to promote healthy-eating behavior. Female participants (N = 133) customized an avatar in a digital game to reflect either the ideal, ought, or actual self. Participants then selected food items for their avatar within the digital game as well as food items for themselves to eat afterward. Results suggest that for participants using an ought-self avatar, the extent to which they were conscious of their health was positively related to healthier food choice both within and after playing the game. No such effect emerged for participants who used an ideal- or actual-self avatar, indicating that participants formed the goal of being healthy only with regard to the ought self. This study demonstrates that avatar customization in a digital game can serve a regulatory function by representing individuals’ duties and responsibilities, thus, causing them to adopt such attributes manifested in their avatar during and after the game.
AB - Drawing on the self-concept activation and goal-priming account of the priming effect, this study examined how self-concept—i.e., ideal self, ought self, and actual self—can be harnessed as a model for avatar customization in digital games to promote healthy-eating behavior. Female participants (N = 133) customized an avatar in a digital game to reflect either the ideal, ought, or actual self. Participants then selected food items for their avatar within the digital game as well as food items for themselves to eat afterward. Results suggest that for participants using an ought-self avatar, the extent to which they were conscious of their health was positively related to healthier food choice both within and after playing the game. No such effect emerged for participants who used an ideal- or actual-self avatar, indicating that participants formed the goal of being healthy only with regard to the ought self. This study demonstrates that avatar customization in a digital game can serve a regulatory function by representing individuals’ duties and responsibilities, thus, causing them to adopt such attributes manifested in their avatar during and after the game.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84991032531&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/15213269.2016.1234397
DO - 10.1080/15213269.2016.1234397
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84991032531
SN - 1521-3269
VL - 20
SP - 632
EP - 657
JO - Media Psychology
JF - Media Psychology
IS - 4
ER -